Overview:
The Explorer is the SUV that started the craze—and it’s still a contender, with a premium interior that seats seven, high-tech features, and robust mechanicals. It’s standard with front-wheel drive and a 290-hp V-6; a 270-hp turbo four and all-wheel drive are optional. There’s also a 365-hp turbo V-6 Sport with all-wheel drive and a sport-tuned chassis for those who want more “sport” in their SUV. While the Explorer offers a quiet cabin and a solid ride, it somehow feels larger than it is. Official Photos and Info – 2016 Ford Explorer »

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On the exterior, the 2016 Explorer shares only its roof, doors, and glass with the current model. New headlights include Ford’s first LED low beams as standard and optional signature eyebrow lighting, and they’re joined by a new grille opening and aggressive lower fog lights. The taillights receive a new three-dimensional element, while the rest of the rear end gets newly integrated exhaust tips (with integrated soot catcher so they stay clean), reshaped D-pillars, and a more sculpted tailgate with a subtle spoiler up top.

The aesthetic tweaks team with active grille shutters to make the new Explorer five percent more slippery than the outgoing design, according to Ford. Look closely at the front fog lights, and you’ll see a functional inlet that directs air around the front wheel wells, cutting down on drag. Ford clearly focused on the details.

Why Didn’t Anyone Else Think of That?

The standard rearview and optional front cameras deliver 180-degree views, and both come with a feature Ford says has never before been on any production vehicle: a lens washer. Anyone who’s had to thumb-smudge road salt or highway grime off of a backup camera—or tapped a parking-garage wall after neglecting to do so—will rejoice at this feature. It’s a wonder the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Audi haven’t already implemented such a feature. The Explorer can also be had with a revamped Active Park Assistant that can now semiautonomously steer you into or out of a perpendicular parking spot (like the ones at Walmart) as well as parallel park for you. Additionally, new side sensors help you figure out whether you’re about to leave paint samples on that concrete column looming just behind your B-pillar in the parking garage. The Explorer also now gets Ford’s hands-free, foot-sensing liftgate opener previously found on the Escape and C-Max.

Inside, the capacitive-touch center-console controls have blessedly been scrapped in favor of honest-to-goodness push buttons for the audio and climate controls. Audible cheers came up from the journalists at the unveil event when designer Chris Svensson announced this change, which he said was prompted by copious customer feedback slamming the touch-sensitive (or insensitive) previous design. Both the driver and front passenger get roomier footwells, while second-row guests get more legroom thanks to redesigned front-row seatbacks. Front and rear “smart-charging” USB ports sense the current draw demanded by your smartphone or tablet, charging devices up to twice as fast, while a 110-volt inverter offers three-prong power at the back of the center console.

A Bigger Downsized Engine

The biggest news under the hood is the smallest engine in the Explorer lineup: the 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder that replaces the 2.0-liter turbo four as the middle of three engine choices in the Explorer. The 2.3-liter turbo four packs an estimated 270 horses and 300 lb-ft of torque in this application­, 20 fewer horses but 45 more lb-ft than the naturally aspirated base 3.5-liter V-6. It’s up 30 horses and 30 lb-ft over the outgoing 2.0-liter turbo.

The added oomph means Ford can now offer a Class II towing package on four-cylinder Explorers, making them capable of lugging up to 3000 pounds, as well as finally spec 4WD as an option with the turbo four. Ford says the new 2.3-liter EcoBoost returns the same 20 mpg city and 28 highway as the smaller four-cylinder. Base, XLT, and Limited models can be fitted with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost for a $995 upcharge, with the twin-turbo EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6 and its 365 horses and 350 lb-ft of torque being standard on Explorer Sport and Platinum models.

Precious Metals

Platinum? That’s right: Ford debuted the revamped 2016 Explorer by showing off its new top-spec Platinum trim line. On top of the myriad 2016 upgrades across the Explorer line, the Platinum level brings luxurious appointments to compete with range-toppers like the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit and the GMC Acadia Denali. To that end, the Platinum gets its own matte-silver grille with a different insert to make sure your neighbors know you checked the most expensive box. This model also rides on its own 20-inch machine-finished wheels with dark accents. Satin chrome adorns the mirrors, roof rack, door handles, and body moldings.

The cabin of the Platinum is stuffed with more upscale materials than previously offered on a Blue Oval product. The upholstery puts on a lounge act, with Ford saying its “Nirvana leather” is the softest hide it’s ever procured. Leather also wraps the seats, dashboard, door inserts, upper door trim, and armrests, and heated front and outboard-second-row seats are standard. The ash wood and brushed-aluminum trim sprinkled throughout the interior are the real deal—no plastiwood or knockoff metal here, and you can actually feel the texture of the brushed aluminum. And don’t miss the brushed-aluminum steering-wheel badge; it’s the first all-silver Ford oval the company has ever used in production, and it's intended to signify just how special the Platinum is.

Additional sound deadening, a unique headliner to match the interior upholstery, fabric-wrapped A-pillar trim, a 500-watt Sony audio system, and an all-digital instrument cluster (another Ford first) round out the Platinum-level interior upgrades. The top-of-the-line Explorer comes standard with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 and all-wheel drive, as well as its own suspension tune. (There are also separate tunes for the Sport and the rest of the lineup.)

Despite the massive overhaul, Ford says the 2016 Explorer will carry over the same $31,595 base price as the 2015 model. Pricing for the XLT, Limited, Sport, and Platinum models will become available on Ford’s website shortly, and the revamped 2016 will hit showrooms sometime next summer. As for the Explorer’s highly competitive segment, we’re thinking its denizens just sat up and took notice.

Introduced in 2011 as the first Explorer on a unibody chassis, the current three-row, seven-passenger Explorer is only mildly improved since last year. A roomy mid-size crossover SUV, the Explorer sits tall and drives large, a sensation that gets a little clumsy in tight urban centers but doesn’t impede on open roads.

Power from the standard 3.5-liter V-6 is fine for daily needs. With front-wheel drive, 290 hp and 255 lb-ft of torque on tap and an EPA rating of 17 mpg city and 24 highway (17/23 for all-wheel drive), it’s the correct engine for almost all owners. We saw 18 mpg testing an all-wheel-drive version.

Ford also offers the turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder (front-wheel drive only) that’s down to 240 hp but packs 270 lb-ft of torque and weighs less. It gets more out of a gallon of gas—20 city/28 highway—but the performance penalty in the heavy Explorer is more than we’re willing to bear.

For some power indulgence and a touch of luxury, the 365-hp turbocharged Explorer Sport is the ticket. It is available only with all-wheel drive and is rated at 16/22 mpg; we saw 18 mpg in our testing. Its engine and chassis tune are more responsive without aiming for outright muscle-car bragging rights. It’s a satisfying daily driver.

Payoff for the Explorer’s weight is an impressively quiet cabin made plush with premium materials and excellent design. Every amenity is available, it can tow 5000 pounds in its base form, and its contemporary exterior styling wears well. A bonus is better-than-expected off- or muddy-road performance from the optional all-wheel-drive (no low range) system.

Fifth Generation, 2011–Present

2011: The Explorer transforms from an SUV to a crossover with unibody construction topped with contemporary styling. An all-new powertrain uses a 3.5-liter V-6; a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder is optional. 2013: An optional 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 arrives.

2002: All-new sheetmetal, three-row seating, a 4.6-liter V-8 option, and an independent rear suspension are highlights of the third-gen Explorer. The Sport continues on with a live rear axle. 2003: The Sport is discontinued.

1995: Still with body-on-frame construction and the carry-over pushrod 4.0-liter, the Explorer gains a thorough redesign and a conventional independent front suspension. A two-speed all-wheel-drive system is optional. 1996: The venerable small-block 4.9-liter V-8 is added as an option. 1997: Yet another engine option—a much smoother and higher-revving SOHC version of the 4.0-liter—debuts. 1998: The Explorer receives a modest refresh. 2001: The old pushrod 4.0-liter V-6 is finally discontinued.

1990: Taking over from the two-door Bronco II, the Explorer sets the modern SUV boom in high gear with a wagon body, three- or five-door models, and body-on-frame construction. Power is from a just-adequate 155-hp, 4.0-liter V-6. 1993: The 4.0-liter V-6 gains 5 hp, and ABS is now standard; a Limited trim level is added.